Communication Development Birth Nine Years

1
Communication Development Birth - Nine Years

• Holly Flanagan, MS, CCC-SLP
• Family Service Early Intervention

2
Glossary of Terms

• Languagesymbol system representing thoughts
• Speechproduction of sounds of a language
• Communicationexchange of information
• Pragmaticslanguage function
• Semanticsword meaning
• Syntaxword order
• Phonologysound system

3
0-8 months

• Pragmatics caregiver assigns intent
• Semantics n/a
• Syntax n/a
• Phonology coos, goos (vegetative sounds, mostly
  vowel-like) babbling begins 6-8 mos (early sounds
  /m/, /b/, /d/ with vowel C-V shape)

4
8-12 months

• Pragmatics intent expressed with gestures and
  vocalizations
• Semantics understands 5-50 words with familiar
  context (ie people, objects, routines)
• Syntax n/a
• Phonology jargon-like babbling with intonation
  (early sounds with vowels duplicated in C-V-C-V
  shape mamama, bababa)

5
12-18 months

• Pragmatics intent expressed with words
  communication attempts increases words increase
• Semantics understands 50-100 words still need
  context, but more words outside of routines
• Syntax n/a
• Phonology first 15-50 single words usually C-V
  shape common to delete final consonant
  (ba/ball), syllables (ba/bottle), and to
  assimilate sounds (baba/banana)

6
18 months-2 years

• Semantics expressive vocabulary of 50-150 words
  understands words for objects out of sight and
  two-word relationships
• Syntax two-word utterances emerge word order
  conveys meaning utterances telegraphic
• Pragmatics communication function using words
  increases to include requesting, answering,
  acknowledging
• Phonology speech is 50 intelligible C-V-C
  (adding on final consonant) and two syllable
  words emerge

7
2-2 1/2 years

• Pragmatics topics continued using repetition
  narratives are heaps of labels/descriptions
  language for symbolic play, and absent objects
• Semantics understanding of questions about
  objects/what, people/who, basic events (ie
  what___doing, where___going)
• Syntax use of -ing, in, on, plural /s/,
  negation, and rising intonation for Qs
• Phonology awareness of rhyming

8
2 1/2-3 years

• Pragmatics topic continuation nears 50 and new
  information added requests for clarification
  increased use of language in play narratives are
  sequences with theme but no plot
• Semantics use and understanding of why
  questions use of basic spatial terms
• Syntax be verbs used consistently
  overgeneralization of past tense forms
• Phonology speech 75 intelligible ability to
  produce rhyme emerges

9
3-3 1/2 years

• Pragmatics requesting more flexible narratives
  have theme and temporal aspects
• Semantics semantic relationships expand
  understand color terms understanding and use of
  kinship terms
• Syntax complex sentence forms, irregular past
  tense, articles, possessive /s/ emerge
• Phonology use of reduplication, syllable
  deletion, assimilation, and final consonant
  deletion less common other processes continue,
  such as cluster reduction

10
3 1/2-4 years

• Pragmatics reporting past events, reasoning,
  predicting, empathy, imaginary roles emerge
  ability to maintain interactions emerges
• Semantics use and understanding of when and
  how questions understanding of shape words
  use and understanding of size vocabulary use of
  conjunctions to conjoin sentences
• Syntax complex sentence forms continue to mature
• Phonology cluster reduction decreases

11
4-5 years

• Pragmatics hinting without mentioning intention
  narratives have plot (no climax)
• Semantics knowledge of letter names and sounds,
  and numbers and counting use of conjunctions
  when, so, because, if
• Syntax basic sentence forms fully acquired
• Phonology speech 100 intelligible ability to
  segment words into syllables use of processes
  stop errors may persist with specific sounds
  /s/, /r/, /l/, th

12
5-7 years

• Pragmatics narratives are actual stories with
  central focus, high point, resolution
• Semantics average expressive vocabulary 5000
  words
• Syntax mastery of exceptions to basic
  grammatical rules begins
• Phonology last speech errors overcome ability
  to segment words into phonemes (single sounds)
  emerges concept of word separate from referent

13
7-9 years

• Pragmatics language used to establish and
  maintain social status understand jokes and
  riddles stories more complex/complete episodes
• Semantics new vocabulary with each new
  experience word definitions include synonyms and
  categories words with multiple meanings
• Syntax few errors persist
• Phonology mostly error free phonological
  knowledge used in spelling